The Transcontinental Railroad


John Hoyt Williams - 2019
    The dream of a railroad across America had at last come true. This book tells the story of swaggering men with big plans, of an America emerging from the Civil War and reaching its manifest destiny. The men who imagined the transcontinental railroad were impassioned profiteers, an unlikely, often ruthless band, guilty of both financial double-dealing and ferocious ingenuity. When ice delayed operations in the Sierra Nevadas, the men of the Central Pacific formed the Summit Ice Company and sold their problem to California saloons. When herds of buffalo ripped up the tracks, the men of the Union Pacific brutally slaughtered tens of thousands of them. (Thus the legend of Buffalo Bill was born.) While his partners finagled in Washington and on Wall Street, Jack Casement, a former Union general, dressed in a fur coat, a Cossack hat, and shining cavalry boots and carrying a pistol and a bullwhip, drove the workers of the Union Pacific to new track-laying records. Meanwhile, from the West, thousands of Chinese immigrants blasted, climbed, and inched their way through the perilous California mountains. The railroad transformed the country forever. It decimated the Plains Indian culture by destroying the herds of buffalo that sustained it. It augmented the timber and steel industries; it opened up the West for commerce. Farms grew up along the length of the rails. Thousands of immigrants from Asia and Europe came here to build the iron road. Most important, it united a nation. The story of the railroad is capitalist theater, starring powerful politicians and generals and con artists. Set in opulent parlor cars, well-heeled boardrooms, and rowdy frontier towns, on desolate plains and deadly gorges, it is a story of vision and corruption, of empire building at its most vulgar and glorious. John Williams combines scholarship with personalities, historical analysis with plain old tall tales, to tell a story that will appeal to readers of American history and adventure and to lovers of the American West. The Transcontinental Railroad is an epic of every sense.

Taming Clay


Raeann Blake - 2012
    A lifetime of experience taught him not to love and never to trust, but he desperately needed a business manager. What he got was a spunky, high-tempered woman who tilted his world more than a little off-center. But if he had learned anything in his life, it was to not expect her to stick around. You don't trust a woman, any woman, to not just disappear.Hailey Lambert just needed a shot. Montana was a long way from New Mexico and she just needed one chance to prove she could do the job. She was warned that Clay Cardell would not be the easiest man to work for. After their initial meeting she thought they might have understated that just a tad. The fact that her heart did some kind of somersault when she first saw him didn't really concern her. If she could deal with the man's attitude, she could certainly deal with some little physical reaction. Right? Well... maybe not.

Stranger


Clifford Irving - 1961
    He ruled the minds and bodies of every man and woman in Diablo Valley. The Guardian called this powerful mythic tale of a ruthless man, his rebellious son - and the beautiful young woman from New York who becomes wife to one and mistress to the other.

The Pastures of Beyond: An Old Cowboy Looks Back at the Old West


Dayton O. Hyde - 2005
    No one is better suited to convey the flavor of the Old West than this authentic American original, whose colorful tales of cowboys, Indians, and the horses they rode have the grace of poetry and the power of myth.

First Girl in the West


Eliza Spalding Warren - 2013
    Her story is unparalleled—and offers fascinating insights into the earliest days of the emigrants. Eliza’s parents launched the Oregon Trail era with the original covered wagon trek in 1836. Settling in the region that is now the junction of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, Eliza grew up among native peoples. She learned their language and understood their culture better than any pioneer girl of the era. Eliza was at the Whitman Mission on the day of the fateful attacks that so profoundly changed the course of western history. Her telling of that story is uniquely valuable—even though she was just 10 years old—because she was the only survivor who spoke the language of the attackers. This first-person account is an eye-opening look at life in the early West.Eliza’s story is as fresh and readable today as the day it was written—a rare example of a historic document that can still engage modern readers, even children. This enhanced edition adds dozens of photos, maps, graphics, and notes to the original manuscript. The bonus material provides a layer of context that gives readers deeper insight into her compelling story.

Copper Peaks Brides: Historical Western Romance Collection


Ruby Hill - 2019
    As chaos surrounds her, can Jessie find her one true love? Ruth's Revelation Ruth has always had to give up on her dreams, but not anymore! She is finally willing to fight for what she wants. Amber's Promise When a young lady named Amber Rutledge turns up holding a marriage contract with Henry’s signature on it, he finds his world thrown into chaos. If you love historical western and mail-order bride romance books with twists of mystery, you will love this sweet and clean romance collection.

Thirty-One Years on the Plains and in the Mountains


William F. Drannan - 1903
    You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Unflinching


Stuart G. Yates - 2015
     When a famous ex-general's daughter is kidnapped, Detective Simms is assigned with bringing her home. Forged in the Mexican War, this man of steel knows how to survive and how to kill. But he will need all of his skill and guile to survive this unforgiving land, and bring the general's daughter home. And then, it gets personal...

When the Meadowlark Sings: The Story of a Montana Family


Nedra Sterry - 2003
    Prize-winning novelist Cai Emmons praises Sterry by saying she really knows how to tell a story. Sterry grew up in a succession of isolated one-room schools in northern and central Montana, where her mother, a teacher, eked out a living. A must read for anyone who loves Montana and its rich history.

For the Love of a Wounded Cowboy


Cassidy Hanton - 2019
    But when she meets the cowboy she’s been corresponding with all this time, she comes face to face with an unpleasant surprise: he seems unable to recognize her. Living a lonely life on his ranch, Oliver Gyles carries the burden of his deceased father’s darkest secret. With no intention of getting married, he is shocked to see a beautiful lady standing at his doorstep, looking for her fiancé. What starts as a misunderstanding, blooms into a myriad of emotions they couldn't have foreseen... But his father’s last wish haunts Oliver and the past comes back to take Amelia away from him. Fighting his demons to save his love while there’s still time, he will soon find out what really happened the night his father died in that fire... *This is Cassidy's 6th novel, a Western historical romance novel of 80,000 words (around 400 pages). No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a strong happily ever after. Pick up "For the Love of a Wounded Cowboy" today to discover Cassidy's wonderful new story!

Saved by a Tender Warrior: A Historical Western Romance Book


Ellen Knightley - 2020
    Dreaming of starting her own school one day, she takes a job teaching children on a wagon train heading out west. Not long into the journey, she is saved from a near death experience by a young native man who turns her world upside down. She immediately feels drawn to this kind and gentle man, who intrigues her with his love of reading. As multiple disasters strike the wagon train, tensions rise high between the travelers and the local native tribe. In the midst of chaos, will Mairi be forced to choose between continuing her journey and following the secret call of her heart to embrace something wondrous?Waya is a warrior who longs to bring peace between his tribe and the nearby settlers. Sadly, his views are not shared by his elders, who prefer an aggressive response to the wagon trains crossing their land and killing their livestock. When he comes across a beautiful young woman from one of the wagons in peril, he rushes immediately to save her life. From the moment their eyes meet, the connection between them is unlike anything either of them have felt before and Waya is captivated. As he desperately tries to convince his own people not to harm the travelers, will Waya succeed in keeping the enchanting woman safe and find a way to build a life with her?Mairi and Waya find themselves in an impossible situation, on opposite sides of a conflict that could erupt at any time. Coming from different worlds, true love seems like an impossible dream. When their bond becomes too strong to deny though, will they be willing to defy anyone who might try to challenge them? With their lives set on completely different paths, will they choose to fight for a future neither could have ever dreamt was possible or will outside forces tear them apart forever?"Saved by a Tender Warrior" is a historical western romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

Apache Wars: A History from Beginning to End (Native American History)


Hourly History - 2021
    

Escape to Exile


B.N. Rundell - 2020
    One man from prominent social standing, the other with a life of practical experience, are soon joined in life building adventures.That journey would be fraught with danger, excitement, and adventure as they face bounty hunters, renegade Shawnee and Delaware Indians, and river pirates. The odds are stacked against the two young men that were lacking in worldly wisdom when it came to life on the frontier. But that reservoir of experience would soon be overflowing with first-hand involvement in happenings that even young dreamers could never imagine.

Famous Sheriffs and Western Outlaws: Incredible True Stories of Wild West Showdowns and Frontier Justice


William MacLeod Raine - 1929
    Get swept back to a time when sheriffs did their best to keep order in a lawless land. Read about the likes of Tom Horn, the “Apache Kid,” “Bucky” O’Neill, Tom Nickson, and many more!  Famous Sheriffs and Western Outlaws is a classic for everyone interested in history and what is was like in the Old West. The detail of every story grabs the attention of the reader and doesn't let go. Learn the early stories of famous foes like Billy the Kid and what he was like from both a personal and business standpoint. If you like stories of heroes and the people who tried to take them down, then you are in for a wild ride.  Novelist William MacLeod Raine recalls standoffs, shootouts, rowdy saloons, brave men who protected innocent townspeople, and villains who put the “wild” in Wild West. Famous Sheriffs and Western Outlaws is a sure shot for anyone interested in the history and romance of the Old West.

Into the Snow: The Testimony and Last Will of Jedediah P. Carpenter


John Erwin - 2012
    Carpenter finds himself orphaned and alone on the Oregon trail in the middle of Nebraska Territory. He also finds himself smitten with the beautiful Emma Cooper, three years his senior, who has ridden off into the morning sunrise with the despicable Zeke Jones. Jed's will to reach his family's original destination in Oregon is hampered by his lack of survival skills and the specter of the oncoming winter. Through an unlikely true friendship with a "Damn Indian", Pete Scares-the-Ponies, Jedediah learns and hones those skills. Instead of heading for Oregon, though, Jed finds himself in a little mining camp called Buckskin Joe in the early days of the great Pikes Peak gold rush. His whole life takes a turn when the mysterious "Silverheels" comes to town and he experiences a love that will carry him through fifty years of solitude and beyond . . . the kind of love we all seek. Jedediah's story will draw you into the breathtaking beauty of the Rocky Mountains in the early days of the territory that became the state of Colorado. Along the way, you will experience joy, sorrow, love and adventure, in this fictional explanation of the naming of one of Colorado's prominent mountains, Mount Silverheels.